As an energy resource replaceable to fossil fuels such as oil, coal, etc., solar battery utilizing the solar light has been attracting attention. Currently, concerning silicon solar battery using crystalline or amorphous silicon, or compound semiconductor solar battery or the like, using gallium, arsenic, etc., development and study such as high-efficiency improvement are actively promoted. However, there is a problem that versatile use of these batteries is difficult due to too high energy and cost required for manufacturing. In addition, photoelectric conversion device using dye-sensitized semiconductor particles or solar battery using the same has been known, and materials and manufacturing technology to produce this has been disclosed (see Patent Literature 1, Non-Patent Literature 1 and Non-Patent Literature 2). This photoelectric conversion device is manufactured using an oxide semiconductor such as titanium oxide, etc., which is comparatively low in cost, as a raw material, and attracts attention because of a possibility that a photoelectric conversion device having lower cost compared with that of conventional solar battery using silicon, etc. can be obtained, and also that a colorful solar battery can be obtained, and the like. However, since a ruthenium based complex is used as a sensitizing dye to obtain a device having high conversion efficiency, cost of the dye itself is high and its supply problems remain. In addition, use of an organic dye as a sensitizing dye has been already tried, but its practical use has not been realized at present due to low conversion efficiency, stability and endurance, etc., and further improvement in conversion efficiency is desired (see Patent Literature 2). In addition, until now, a case of manufacturing photoelectric conversion device using a methine based dye has been disclosed, and comparatively large number of study cases on coumarin based dyes (see Patent Literature 3) and merocyanine based dyes have been disclosed (see Patent Literatures 4, 5, 6 and 7), but further cost reduction and improvements in stability and conversion efficiency were desired.
Patent Literature 1: JP No. 2664194;
Patent Literature 2: WO No. 2002011213;
Patent Literature 3: JP-A-2002-164089;
Patent Literature 4: JP-A-08-81222;
Patent Literature 5: JP-A-11-214731;
Patent Literature 6: JP-A-2001-52766;
Patent Literature 7: JP-A-2003-59547;
Non-Patent Literature 1: B. O'Regan and M. Graetzel, Nature, V 353, 737 (1991);
Non-Patent Literature 2: M. K. Nazeeruddin, A. Kay, I. Rodicio, R. Humphry-Baker, E. Muller, P. Liska, N. Vlachopoulos, M. Graetzel, J. Am. Chem. Soc., V 115, 6382 (1993);
Non-Patent Literature 3: W. Kubo, K. Murakoshi, T. Kitamura, K. Hanabusa, H. Shirai, and S. Yanagida, Chem. Lett., 1241 (1998);